Indian Premier League (IPL) 2014 heavyweights, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI) will clash in what is expected to be a humdinger of a contest at Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. Mumbai’s stunning thrill-a-minute chase against Rajasthan Royals would have given the defending champions a major lift after a miserable start to the tournament.

Chennai, on the other hand are past masters at the business end of the tournament and MS Dhoni’s men thrive on battles like these. A partisan Mumbai crowd won’t come in the way of Chennai’s nous and know-how in knockout contests. Mumbai started the tournament in the worst possible way. Losing all the five UAE-leg matches saw them hit rock bottom in the IPL table. Rohit Sharma’s team dusted themselves and staged a remarkable comeback when the tournament returned to India.

Chennai fortunes, meanwhile has been a polar opposite of their opponents in the eliminator. The two time winners went on an excellent winning run and breezed to the latter stages. However, some of the sheen of their billing as tournament favourites was lost with three losses on the bounce.

After their early miseries, Mumbai have zeroed in on their winning combination. Lendl Simmons’s cracking form has vanished their opening blues. Corey Anderson’s belligerent unbeaten 94 in the chase against Rajasthan has also come at a critical juncture.

A lot will be riding on Dwayne Smith’s run glut in IPL 7. The West Indian has been breathtaking form and 10 overs with him at the crease could potentially put the tie to bed. A big factor that sets Chennai apart from teams is every member contributing at different times during a game. Mumbai, on the other hand have relied on individuals to bail them out of trouble so far. Their scintillating win to qualify to this stage though might give them the necessary spirit to prevail under tricky circumstances.